Just beneath the fast-moving emerald waters off British Columbia, there’s a dive site so full of life that even Jacques Cousteau ranked it among the best in the world. Years ago, our cofounders explored it, and paulnicklen came back with quite the story. The area is home to the giant Pacific octopus, the largest of its kind, reaching up to 24 feet across. On this dive, Paul spotted one tucked into the reef. As he moved closer, the octopus seemed curious. It reached out, wrapped itself around Paul’s camera housing, and took off. Paul followed as it moved deeper. At nearly 100 feet below the surface, he realized the octopus had no plans to let go. He grabbed on, entering a ridiculous underwater tug of war. But with air running low, he had to act fast. A few gentle puffs of air from his backup regulator—ironically called an “octopus”—did the trick. Camera recovered, Paul ascended, though without a single shot of the heist. Some moments are just meant to be lived. Photos by paulnicklen...